Wallabies recruit Dylan Pietsch has linked up with Western Force training in pre-season and says he’s excited about an environment where he believes he can grow his game.
Pietsch switched the NSW Waratahs for the Force in the off-season and arrived in Perth a fortnight ago after his Wallabies Northern Hemisphere Tour was ended prematurely by a calf injury sustained in the famous 42-37 win over England.
While the tour-ending injury was disappointing for the five-cap 26-year-old Wallabies winger, he was philosophical about it, saying “everything happens for a reason”.
The situation has allowed him to get a head start on Perth life, linking up with his new teammates and familiarizing himself with his new environment.
“I’ve really loved what the Force are building here,” Pietsch told Force TV.
“I think I can really grow my game in this environment here, so I’m really excited for it all."
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When pressed further on why he joined the Force, Pietsch added: “They play a really nice, fast brand of footy. I really feel like that suits my kind of style.
“I just wanted a change of environment. Having good people around you to work hard together for a common goal. I’m really keen for it.
“I think I can really grow my game in this environment here, so I’m really excited for it all.”
Pietsch, who hails from Narrandera in the Riverina region of south-western NSW, knows plenty of the Force squad from his time in representative squads and the Tahs, headlined by Carlo Tizzano, Ben Donaldson and Jeremy Williams, which was a big part of the attraction.
“I know a fair few of the boys from Australia A and past Waratahs stuff as well,” he said. “That’s helped coming in with a lot of familiar faces.
“It’s the perfect balance for me, grew up in a small country town and lived in Sydney, so now got a balance of both. I’m really settling in and loving it so far.”
Pietsch has had an interesting journey to this point, moving to Sydney as a teenager to attend the well-regarded King’s School before spending several years playing rugby sevens, including at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics where he worked with new Force assistant coach James Stannard.
The pacey winger made his Super Rugby debut with the Tahs in 2022 and has had three strong campaigns, scoring 14 tries in 38 games.
Pietsch has enjoyed a fantastic 2024 leading to his Australia debut against Wales in July, becoming the 15th known Indigenous Wallaby.
The winger showed he was really finding his feet at international level with an impressive showing in the victory over England at Twickenham before injury intervened.
“It’s probably bad timing but everything happens for a reason,” Pietsch said. “It was really good to get that win in England and watch the boys get the win against Wales.
“It’s been really cool to see the Wallabies boys going really well and progressing. When we versed Wales at the start of the year (compared) to last week, you can see the amount of progression each player is having and the confidence that they’re getting. It’s just a product of a good environment.”
Pietsch has made good progress in his recovery at Force HQ and was involved in sections of full training this week, which bodes well for a quality pre-season ahead of the 2025 Super Rugby Pacific campaign.
“Injury is going really well,” he said. “Basically back into everything a lot earlier than expected.
“The staff here have been so amazing getting me back. They’ve been really cool helping me with some other stuff, so the injury is going really well.”
After a positive start to his recovery, Pietsch will fly out this week to watch the Wallabies take on Ireland in Dublin this Saturday and take his international break before returning to Perth for the next pre-season block.
Pietsch, who is a proud Wiradjuri man, will also spend time on his Indigenous art business Wulwaay during his break.
He revealed he’d been dabbling in art since he was young, but had decided to turn his passion into a business a few years ago, which has gone from strength to strength but also offered him a release from rugby.
“It’s something I enjoyed doing and I never thought of it as a business idea,” he said.
“I spoke to a few people and thought I might as well see how it goes. I’ve been doing that for four years now.
“I do a lot of designs and canvases. I just did the Wallabies’ British and Irish Lions tour jersey.
“It’s been a good thing outside of rugby to have. Rugby can be a really tense environment, so to have something that’s so creative, which gets you into that third space outside rugby, you’re not just focusing on throwing a ball, you’re actually being a human being.
“To be able to connect to culture especially when you’re traveling so much and to be able to do my art is a really good grounding for me when I want to connect back to culture and create a story with my artwork.”
Force 2025 Super Rugby Memberships are on sale NOW for seven home games + Super W games from $170 per adult, while there’s FREE Junior Force Memberships for one child under 15 with a paying adult.
